Sikkim to finally get an airport this month

SpiceJet to fly to Pakyong airport, 30km from Gangtok

If all goes as per schedule, you’ll be able to fly to Sikkim starting June. Early in May, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu announced that Pakyong airport, about 30 km away from the state capital of Gangtok, had received the license to start commercial operation.

SpiceJet has been granted permission to fly to Pakyong airport from Kolkata. On March 10, the carrier had already completed a test flight with a 78-seater Bombardier Dash 8-Q400, landing successfully at the runway that sits 4,500ft above sea level in a tough terrain.

Pakyong airport in Sikkim will be the 100th operational airport when it opens doors to passengers. Sikkim is also the only state in the country without a functional airport; the direct connectivity is likely to boost tourism and economic growth.

At present, travellers have to fly to Bagdogra airport in West Bengal to reach Gangtok, which is a four and a half-hour drive away.